Prison Blues
by Luv2Game
Summary: Prison was horribly boring. The only thing you could really do was think, and Mai could only seem to think about one thing. Well, to be fair, Zuko wasn't a thing. He was a jerk. Not that there was much of a difference. ::Maiko::


_**A/n:**_ Boy, I've been in a Maiko mood lately. I've been dabbling with this since _The Boiling Rock_ and the awesomeness that was the finale spurred me into finishing it. Takes place after _TBR, _so **spoilers **are present, but only for those two episodes. All Mai's point of view, and man, is she a blast to write!

_**Disclaimer: **__Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is not mine. Could I think up such a kickin' finale? Honestly, probably not. XD

_Chapter 1: Prison Blues_

_**xxxx**_

Pressed up against a corner, head lolled back against the cool concrete, Mai let out a dreary sigh. This was horribly boring. And cramped. Who would have thought that prison would be so dull and the cell would be unbearably tiny. She knew that prison wasn't supposed to be fun, but this was ridiculous.

Amber eyes staring up at the high ceiling, Mai released another sigh, stretching out her legs. At least there was enough room to lay down; three feet of hard, grimy plaster still loomed before her.

Joy of joys.

Tapping her long fingers against the floor, keeping rhythm with the sound of dripping water coming from the ceiling, Mai fought the urge to sigh again. A month. She had been in this dreadful prison for a month.

Or she thought it was a month. She really had no way to keep track of time since she had been striped of every knife she had hidden in her long robes. Her attire had bee confiscated upon her arrival as well, traded in unwillingly for a dingy red pantsuit with a top that was nearly two sizes too big.

Prison really did suck.

Of course, being incarcerated by the Fire Nation Princess herself probably didn't help. It didn't matter if your father was a governor or if you had been Fire Nation nobility your whole life; if Azula wanted you thrown into a high security prison, you were thrown into a high security prison.

It was great to have friends.

Pulling her legs to her chest, Mai closed her eyes, wondering just what she had done. It was her own fault she was here, really. She was the one that had betrayed the Fire Nation Princess. She had chosen brother over sister, and now she was paying for her decision. It was all her own doing; she had made her choice.

Her choice. Sometimes she wondered if she had made a mistake, chosen the wrong option. Sometimes she wondered if choosing Zuko over everything else- her country, her friendships, her freedom- was really the smartest decision she had ever made. After all, had he chosen her?

Standing to her feet, Mai shuffled about her dimly lit cell, careful to avoid the thin mattress that passed as a bed. This was torture, being in her, unable to do _anything_. Even when she was released from her block there was nothing to do. The yard in the middle of the prison offered nothing- she wasn't allowed to practice with her blades. The one meal she was allowed to eat with the other prisoners was uneventful- Ty Lee was on another schedule.

The only thing she could do was think, and she really wished she could stop. She only thought of one thing; one _person_. The root of all of her thoughts revolved around one traitorous prince.

The jerk who had dumped her.

The jerk that had left her behind, only offering her a letter in his wake. The jerk that had abandoned his nation, telling her of his plans with ink. The jerk that had left her alone, and, when she found him, slammed a cell door closed in her face, turning from her once again.

The jerk that, despite everything he had done to hurt her, she had helped save. The jerk that, regardless of his actions, she had gone against her childhood friend for. The jerk that, even though he claimed he didn't want to hurt her, she ultimately sat in prison for.

Moving over to her paper thin pallet, Mai sunk to the floor, unable to stop another sigh from filling her chamber. As much as she wanted to stop thinking, though she longed to just forget the entire situation that placed her here, she couldn't. She wanted to ignore the thoughts of the marked prince, but her mind refused to cooperate. Though she wanted to believe that he was just a jerk, her heart wouldn't stay silent long enough for her mind to believe the lie.

Maybe he was a jerk, but he was _her_ jerk.

Stretching out on the mat, she stared up at the cracked ceiling, amber eyes clouding over as thoughts of Zuko continued to filter through her head. Yes, he had hurt her. When she had read his letter, she had felt as though a hot knife had been plunged into her chest and left to burn. When she had seen his face in her uncle's prison, the wound had seemed to open anew, and a part of her had wanted to use him as a practice dummy for her knives.

But as angry and wounded as she had been, her love for him had remained just as strong as the pain. It still refused to loosen it's hold on her. Though she had no idea where he was and she still wasn't sure why he was traveling with the Avatar, she couldn't help but trust him. Even though she sat in a ridiculously boring prison because of him, she _still_ loved him.

Sighing once more, Mai folded her arms beneath her head, unable to keep a smile smile from twitching on her lips.

How annoying.

_**xxxx**_

_**A/n:**_ I love Mai's dryness. I really do. Hope I pulled it off. Heh. So, after the finale, how can you not love Maiko? Mai was all smiley and happy! Ah, that finale was just awesome...

Anyways, I do love hearing from readers and I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. Thanks for reading.

_- L2G_


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